Shloka 8

कर्मयोग–ज्ञानयज्ञ–अवतारोपदेश

Karma-Yoga, Jñāna-Yajña, and Avatāra Instruction

Devanagari script

न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्‌ यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम्‌ । अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम्‌

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca

na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād yacchokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām |

avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam ||

Translation

アルジュナは言った。「この悲嘆は我が感官を枯らし尽くしています。地上において敵なき繁栄の王国を得ようとも、あるいは神々の主権を得ようとも、これを払いのける手立てを、私は見いだせません。」

Word by Word

• {'na hi': 'indeed not

• certainly not', 'prapaśyāmi': 'I clearly see

• I perceive', 'mama': 'of me

• my', 'apanudyāt': 'might remove

• could drive away', 'yat': 'which', 'śokam': 'grief

• sorrow', 'ucchoṣaṇam': 'drying up

• withering', 'indriyāṇām': 'of the senses

• sense-faculties', 'avāpya': 'having obtained

• attaining', 'bhūmau': 'on earth', 'asapatnam': 'without a rival

• uncontested', 'ṛddham': 'prosperous

• rich', 'rājyam': 'kingdom

• rule', 'surāṇām': 'of the gods', 'api': 'even

• also', 'ca': 'and', 'ādhipatyam': 'lordship

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Earth (bhūmi)
• Gods (surāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Arjuna recognizes that external achievements—an unrivalled earthly kingdom or even divine sovereignty—cannot heal ethical grief. The verse highlights the limits of power and prosperity in resolving inner moral anguish, preparing the ground for a spiritual solution rather than a political one.

What is happening in the narrative?

On the battlefield, Arjuna confesses to Kṛṣṇa that he cannot find any remedy for his sorrow, which is overwhelming his senses. Even imagining the greatest possible rewards, he feels they would not remove his grief, signaling his collapse of will and his need for guidance.